ICT-733 Impacts of Technology

Instructor: Dr. Byron C. Anderson, Program Director for BS-ICT

Office:

152 Communications Technologies Building

Office Hours: I will work to meet/talk as your schedule as an online learner

permits.
M-W-F are open quite often. Tu and Th have on-campus classes
after 11.
Phone:

(715) 232-1299 (office); (715)505-1107 (mobile)

Text based: For general course questions, use D2LDiscussionEmail

For sensitive or personal issues, use andersonby@uwstout.edu
Welcome to this course. It is my goal to help you succeed in both your
academic and professional aspirations. As a graduate learner youre likely
balancing a host of life obligations across home, family, work, academics,
and your community. The work we do in this class should dovetail with your
professional pursuits as often as possible. Look for ways to help our
classwork bring meaning and value to your other life dynamics. Be thinking,
How can I use what were doing in class to add value in other areas of my
life? If we are purposeful in applying this approach, Im confident our
learning with be to the benefit of many.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
A contemporary, historical and futuristic look at some of the economic,
sociological, psychological and political implications of industry and
technology. Students will identify and investigate several impacts of
industry/technology to show depth of understanding and relationships
between them.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
1. Describe events that exhibit the direct and indirect ramifications of
technology.
2. Discuss the impacts of technology on individual privacy, intellectual
property, as well as the social and economic value of information.
3. Examine the influence of technology across various historical, political, and
social contexts.
4. Examine possible linkages between behaviors and the influence of
technology.
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5. Analyze situations where technology contributes to the expansion,

contraction, or elimination of services in the students career discipline.
Resources
Alone Together, by Sherry Turkle (2011) is available through campus
textbook center.
The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and
Business by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen (2013) is available through
campus textbook center.
Jing is a screen and audio capture application well use and is free
software.
The extra-credit movie, Her (2013), you may elect to review will be your
responsibility view before the due date late in the semester.
Grading
The coursework is formatted into weekly readings with individual
discussion/reaction to prompts, one introduction video, and a semester-long
project with four deposits. A snapshot of the assignments and schedule
follows. Final grades are determined by a weighted percentage of the total
possible points across three categories. Letter grades for the course will be
assigned based on the following scale.
A 90%-100%; B 80 %-89%; C 70%-79%; D 60%- 69%; F 59% or less
(Plus or minus modifications will be left up to the instructors discretion
though generally +@>.7 and -@<.3 (e.g. 82.7%=B-)).
Assignments are due by end of day (midnight) CST on the day they are due
unless otherwise indicated. Feedback on the work submitted will be provided
through the D2L grade book. Work submitted late is docked 1% per hour
after the due date and time including weekends and holidays; rounded up.
Submission time will be based-on arrival via email or other official post.
Grade Basis
Assignment

Note

Due dates

Percent

Introduction to
classmates

Screen capture video &

replies

2/9, 2/16

5 of total

Readings & Responses

Discussion responses &

dialog

11 & replies

45 of
total

Alone Together

Four -- 2/9, 2/16, 3/2, 3/9

Feb/Mar

16

The New Digital Age

Weekly beginning 3/16

Mar/May

29

Analysis Project

Semester-long, career
focused

4 deposits

50 of
total

Define Parameter

Context of the analysis

2/23

12
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project
Interviews and
ecosystem

Scope, dynamics,
pressures

3/30

15

Position/white paper

Options and best

choices

4/27

18

Reflection

Overall take-away

5/4

Extra-credit option

Her (2013) movie writeup

4/14, 5/4

2.5 of
total

Snapshots
Introduction to classmates is simply a screen capture with audio that tells the
class about you. The feedback is your purposeful interaction with five of
more classmates after youve viewed their introduction. The instructor
provides an introduction using the same tool with guidance.
Readings & Responses are in reference to Alone Together and The New
Digital Age conducted weekly timeframes. One week for authored original
posts. One week for feedback to five or more classmates. Your initial post will
respond to an instructor prompt. The texts selected along with the prompts
associated with each reading will nicely align to objectives 1-4. In essence
the readings will naturally introduce new content and the discussion prompts
will help us mull questions and ideas that attend to the objectives through
content that is relevant and timely.
Analysis Project is aligned to objective #5 (Analyze situations where
technology contributes to the expansion, contraction, or elimination of
services in the students career discipline.). In this work you are invited to
systematically investigate the scope and influence of technology in a career
setting. If youre employed, that setting is suggested though not required.
The project goal is to understand how technology is influencing your career
discipline such that youll be able to author a position paper with
recommendations including an action plan that is responsive to your
findings. The exercise includes interviewing workers and management.
Special Needs
Please inform the instructor if you have any special needs that should be
addressed in context with this course. Any student with a qualifying
disability is eligible for assistance. If you require an accommodation for a
disability, please contact the Campus Disability Services, (206 Bowman Hall,
232-2995, http://www.uwstout.edu/disability ) in a timely manner to assure
that appropriate support and accommodations will be provided. Appropriate
documentation of your disability and request of accommodations must be
provided to be eligible for services.

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Academic Honesty and Integrity

The Board of Regents, administrators, faculty, academic staff and students of
the University of Wisconsin System believe that academic honesty and
integrity are fundamental to the mission of higher education and to the
University of Wisconsin System. The university has a responsibility to
promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal
effectively with instances of academic dishonesty.
Reference resources that may be reviewed to better understanding this issue
include:
UW-Stout Policy regarding Academic Dishonesty
(http://www.uwstout.edu/stusrv/dean/dishonesty.cfm)
Questions about plagiarism, ideas, and other resources
(http://www.plagiarism.org)

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